In It For The Long Haul
by castlefan83
Summary: What's going to happen in the lives of our favorite detective and mystery writer after the sun sets on Season 4. This contains *Spoilers* for 4x23 "Always" Rated M for future chapters. Chapter 8 is finally up! Since S5 has started this moves into AU territory.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So I'm back. Didn't mean to be back so soon, but well… Words cannot express how happy I was with the finale, but I really want to know what happens next. So to deal with the four month summer hiatus here is a new story that starts basically right after the end of the Season 4 finale. This is basically my version of what I want to happen and as of right now it will last until the Season 5 premiere. (That is if they ever get around to giving them a S5 renewal). I have no plot at the moment, I just need to get these thoughts out of my head and I have chosen all of you to read my ramblings. If you have not seen the finale please stop reading now. So without further ado…_

_Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own them they belong to AWM and ABC….Always._

* * *

Rick looked down at the hand intertwined with his own, and then he looked up into the eyes of the woman before him and saw nothing but pure love and devotion. For the past few years it was a look he had hoped to see staring back at him. She bit her lip as she started to lead them off towards the bedroom.

_This is really going to happen_, Rick thought to himself as he followed her through his office and into his bedroom. He had honestly thought that they were done. He'd never expected to see her again. Never see her smile when he brought her a cup of coffee, never hear her laugh when he said something witty, never find out just how big of a fan she is, and never be there when she was in trouble.

As they entered the bedroom she turned back towards him and placed her lips on his once again while wrapping her arms around his neck. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him never breaking contact of the kiss. They slowly moved towards his king size bed. Kate untucked his shirt and slowly unbuttoned his shirt as she shrugged it off his shoulders. She ran her hands down his chest relishing in the fact that her hands were on bare skin. How many times had she dreamt of doing this and now here it was becoming a reality. She clumsily started to unbuckle his slacks, but had to let go briefly when he finished ripping open her shirt and letting it fall down on the ground.

He looked down once again at the scar. The reality that he almost lost her a year ago still haunted him to this day. But now, here she was in his arms, where she was always meant to be. He gently laid them both down on the bed and he gently started placing soft kisses down her body.

"Castle," Kate said breathlessly.

"What?"

"Help."

"Huh?"

"Pants, Castle."

"Oh!" he said as he reached down to unbutton her jeans and then got off of the bed and started to gently peal them off. Because they were so wet he struggled just a little bit to pull them off her long beautiful legs.

Once those were gone he quickly removed his own slacks and quickly crawled back onto the bed and hovered over her body.

She grasped his face between her delicate hands and looked directly into his blue eyes, "I love you too Rick."

He looked down at her and smiled, "I know," he whispered as he kissed her neck as they finished relinquishing each other of all other scraps of clothing. He looked down at her naked form and took a moment to take everything in, "You're beautiful Kate, more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."

She brought his mouth down to hers, not wanting to waste a minute of time. Time she thought for a brief moment earlier she had lost. Time she was done wasting.

-K/R-

Warmth enveloped Kate as she sank deeper into the comfort of the bed. She cracked an eye to see the sunlight shining through the window. Catching a glimpse of her surroundings she remembered the previous night and earlier this morning. Rolling over she caught a glimpse of the man who had always had her heart, it had just taken her a while to realize what he had long ago. He looked so peaceful when he slept. She placed a hand on his chest and simply laid there for a moment to just watch him, this amazing man who had stood beside her all this time, through all of these life and death situations. He was still here despite the train wreck that was her life.

"Now I know how you felt when you told me that staring at you doing paperwork was creepy," he said with a smile but leaving his eyes closed.

"I'm gonna go make breakfast," she said dropping a quick kiss on his lips before jumping out of bed.

Rick opened his eyes and propped himself upon an elbow to admire a very naked Kate Beckett standing by his bed. "You know I could get used to this," he said smiling up at her.

Kate reached down to pick his shirt up off the floor and shrugged into it only buttoning about half the buttons. She gathered her hair up into a messy bun and secured it in place with a pencil that was sitting on the nightstand. She looked down at him and smiled, "Well you'll have plenty of time to get used to it because I'm not going anywhere." She leaned down to give him one more quick kiss and then started to walk out of the room.

"So, Captain must have given you a couple days off for your near death experience since you don't seem to be in any rush to leave?" Castle said as he was getting up.

Kate paused for a moment before turning around, _Shit,_ she thought before turning back around to face him. "Ummmm…..yeah, that's something we're gonna have to talk about."

Rick's face all of the sudden got very serious, "What happened yesterday Kate?"

Kate looked at him and knew she needed to tell him the truth. She was done with all of the lies and didn't want anything to come between them any longer. "Just…..when you're done getting ready come find me, we'll talk over breakfast, I promise."

He thought about it for a moment and then deciding that was an acceptable answer nodded and continued his trek into the bathroom

Kate let out a deep breath and walked through the office towards the kitchen. Upon reaching the kitchen she started pulling out a couple of skillets and getting the appropriate ingredients from the fridge. She was impressed with herself for actually remembering where half of this stuff was after only having been here a couple of times and only having done breakfast once over two years ago. She put the bacon she found in one skillet and proceeded to crack eggs into the other. Gourmet cooking it was not, but honestly she was just so hungry right now that anything would have worked.

As she moved to turn the bacon an arm snaked around her waist and she felt a pair of lips graze the spot on her neck right below her ear. "You know if memory serves me right, this is not the first time I have caught you making bacon in my kitchen," Rick whispered into her ear as he tightened his grasp.

"Well I promise not to beat you with the spatula for trying to sneak a piece," Kate jokingly said to him.

"I don't know, that sounds kind of…" he started to say but was interrupted by Kate turning and waving a spatula at him.

"Do not finish that sentence Castle," she said pointing the spatula at him playfully.

Rick got a gleam in his eye that she recognized. It always showed up when he was dead set on something, and she had the overwhelming feeling that she knew what his mind was set on. She quickly turned back around towards the stove.

"You know Beckett I don't like to start things I don't finish," he said as he turned her around to face him. She felt his arms brush her sides and she knew that he was turning off the burners on the stove.

"Well Castle I…..," but that was all she could get out before he quick as lightning lifted her up onto the counter and pressed his lips to hers. She broke the kiss after a moment, "Rick, we still need to talk."

"Well apparently since you don't seem to be in any kind of hurry we'll have plenty of time to talk later," he said as he took possession of her lips once more.

She quickly wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss. She needed to be closer to him, needed to possess him, she just couldn't seem to get close enough to him. Wrapping her legs around his waist she started to move the robe he was wearing off of his shoulders.

Glad that they finally seemed to be on the same page he started to undo the few buttons on his shirt that she was wearing.

They were so involved with one another that they failed to hear the front door open and shut.

"OH MY…!"

Rick and Kate quickly turned around towards the voice and both let out a simultaneous whispered "Crap" as they saw who had just walked in the front door.

* * *

_A/N: So this is what I have so far. Please let me know what you think. I'm looking forward to writing this story, like I have said before though I don't currently have a plan of where I am taking things, I'm just going to go where the words take me. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go watch the last few minutes of "Always" again._

_Jen_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Once again I am blown away by the response to something I have written. So I'm going to attempt to update this story on a weekly basis to somewhat make up for the lack of new episodes. No promises, but that's what I'm shooting for this time around. So go on….find out who walked in the door.

Disclaimer: If I owned them I would be selfish about it and have year round episodes. Luckily for the actors and everyone involved in making the episodes happen I do not own the show.

* * *

"Ummm….yeah, I'm gonna go put on some more clothes," Kate said with a hint of uncertainty as she slid off of the counter and tried to cover up the best she could in only a button up shirt.

Rick looked at her and started to pout, "But I really like this look on you." Kate rolled her eyes at him and walked off towards the bedroom.

"Dad!" Rick jumped a little at the sound of his daughter's voice. "I'm standing right here. Can you please refrain from making any suggestive comments while I'm in the room?"

"Sorry," Rick said with a defeated look.

"I leave you alone for one night dad, one! What changed? First you're in love, then you're hurt, then you're in love again, and then hurt, and now we're back at love. I don't understand. What in the world is going to happen when I go off to school in the fall?"

Rick was lost in his thoughts of what he would do while his daughter was away. "Well…."

"No, wait stop! I take it back! I don't want you to say another word. I don't want to know. It's bad enough what you and mom did the last time she was in town or that time I saw Elle Monroe leaving the loft."

Rick's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, you didn't think I knew about those did you? I'm not stupid dad."

Just then his cell phone rang. Walking over to the phone it was a call from the 12th. "I've got to take this."

"This conversation is not over with Dad," Alexis said as she stomped up the stairs to her room mumbling something about picking up the pieces if this all falls apart.

"Look forward to that discussion sweetie." Rick couldn't wait for that conversation to continue, but until then he took a deep breath and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Castle don't you answer you're phone anymore?"

"Ryan?"

"I tried to get a hold of you yesterday and then I tried a couple of times last night and this morning."

"Aww…I'm touched Detective that you miss me….." Rick started to say, but was cut off by Ryan.

"Have you seen Beckett lately?"

Rick noticed that Ryan had a frantic tone to his voice. He also wasn't sure how he should answer that question. He for sure didn't want Ryan to know that she was here with him. Well, he wouldn't mind if people knew, but he was unsure at the moment of what Kate wanted. Probably better to wait and talk to her first.

"No, I haven't seen her, why?"

"Javi and Beckett are mad at me, well no not mad, furious. I told on them to Gates and they got put on administrative leave. Well, I guess Javi is on leave, and Beckett resigned. Javi doesn't return my calls and no one has heard from Beckett, not even Lanie. I'm starting to get kind of worried. I didn't want to worry her dad so I figured I'd call around first."

Rick felt like he had been punched in the stomach. That was not what he had been expecting to hear this morning.

"Castle? You still there man?"

Rick was knocked from his dazed state, "Yeah I'm here."

"Look I don't know what happened between you and Beckett, but they really lost focus on this last one and Beckett damn near got herself killed. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if we wouldn't have gotten to the roof when we did."

Rick's mind was going a mile a minute. He knew that she had a scare, but from what Ryan was saying he wasn't getting the whole story. Hell, he didn't even get the teaser trailer of what happened yesterday. He needed to get some answers, "Look Ryan I have to go. If I hear anything from Ka…..Beckett, I'll give you call okay?"

"Alright man, thanks. And don't be a stranger around here. I know a lot has changed, but it would be nice to see you once and awhile."

"Of course I'll stop by occasionally. Your closure rate is going to suffer if I don't," Rick said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, talk to you later Castle."

"Good bye Ryan."

Rick stood in a daze. She'd quit the force? That was her life, dedicated to helping the people and hopefully one day bringing her mother's killer to justice. Though at the moment the last reason was going to eventually get her killed if she wasn't careful.

"I tried to tell you," a voice from behind him said. He turned to see Kate wearing a t-shirt and a pair of his boxers.

"No you…." he started to say, but was interrupted.

"Now, wait just a minute Castle. I was all prepared to talk to you about this earlier, but you decided that there were more important things to take care of at the time," Kate smiled at the memory of what had transpired in the kitchen that morning before they had been interrupted. "Then your daughter walked in and that kind of put a damper on everything from that point on. Now here we are about to go into the discussion about how I'm now unemployed."

"What the hell happened yesterday Kate?"

"It was a bad, but clarifying day."

Rick stood there for a moment trying to process the conversation that he knew they were about to have. He didn't know if he really wanted to know all of the details, but for now he would take what she gave. "Can you promise me one thing Kate?"

She nodded as she waited for him to tell her what he wanted.

"Please call Ryan and let him know that you're okay. He sounds really worried, and I don't want him to call your dad."

Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm really not that mad at him. I'm more upset with myself."

Rick tipped his head to the side as if he were pondering something very carefully, "Why?"

"Because I knew what I was doing was wrong and I chose to do it anyway and in the process I brought Esposito down in flames with me."

"Esposito is a big boy who can make his own decisions. If he was really worried about what you were doing he would have said something."

They were both silent for a moment. Kate motioned towards Rick's office and they both walked in, him sitting at his desk as she sat on the couch across the room.

"Javi was just being a loyal friend. I think on some level he knew that we should be going about things differently, but he thought it was what I wanted so he supported it. Ryan was the only one that was thinking with a clear head."

Rick remained silent for a few moments, which in turn started to worry Kate because he was never the silent type

"We were stupid and careless. We found out where the guy was, but he got the drop on us. Javi went down and I followed Maddox up on the roof. He was more than I could handle alone. As I went off the side of the roof, it was then that I realized that I have let the job consume my life. I've been so wrapped up in trying to solve my mother's murder over the years that I forgot to live my own life," she paused for a moment to get her thoughts together because what she was going to say to him next was so important. "While I was hanging off the side of the building all I could think about was you. I was so used to you always being there and then this time you weren't. It was completely and totally my fault that you weren't with me and that was the worst feeling ever."

"What was?" Rick asked.

"Being all alone," Kate whispered. "As my hand started to slip all I could think about was that I was never going to be able to tell you that I love you too. Never be able to go home after a rough day and have you there to kiss me on the forehead and just hold me until all my problems went away. The guy we were chasing got the drop on me, he kicked my ass. Then when he threw me I slid right off the side of the roof. I just…it was my moment of clarity. It was then I decided that I was going to step back from everything. To live my life the way I have always wanted, to live it with you by my side."

"I'm here now Kate and I'm not going anywhere. You just have to promise not to push me away. I'm right here, I always have been. "

"I know, she whispered.

Rick smiled, "Well it's nice to see that you finally recognize that I'm here." He got up from his desk and started walking towards her when his phone rang. "I seem to be a very popular person the last few days." They both shared a knowing smile as he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Mr. Castle."

Rick's eyes shot forward towards Kate and he mouthed the words, _Mr. Smith_. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm calling to let you know that this is the last time you will be hearing from me."

Rick was confused for a moment, "Why, are you going to be out of town or something?"

"Mr. Castle they've found me. They've taken any leverage we had on the situation. Kate Beckett is no longer safe. It doesn't matter anymore whether she leaves the case alone or not, they've decided that she needs to be silenced once and for all."

His heart dropped out of his chest, "But the information that Montgomery sent you was supposed to keep her safe," Rick said a little frantically.

"It's all up to you now. I think Roy always knew that you were the one to take care of her, to keep her safe," Mr. Smith explained to Rick.

"But I still don't…", but Rick was cut off by the sound of a single gunshot and then silence. He looked up at Kate with wide eyes.

_What's going on_, she mouthed to him trying to get some reaction.

After a few moments there was a shuffling sound on the other end of the phone. "Hello there Rick."

Rick pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment. He looked at Kate and placed his finger in front of his lips signaling her to remain silent. She nodded and he switched his phone to speaker.

"Are you there Rick?"

"Who is this?" Rick said trying to mask the fear and worry in his voice.

"I think you know who this is Rick."

"Why kill Smith?"

"He was becoming a nuisance for my employer. A problem that needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Now there is only one more problem that needs to be taken care of."

"Beckett is no longer going to be looking into anything related to the case. You don't have to worry about her. We can still leave the deal intact?"

"I'm afraid we just can't do that Rick. We've heard this all before, that she won't be investigating anymore, and now here we are with her doing exactly what she was told not to. You would think a bullet to the heart would have solved this problem. If she just would have died like she was supposed to a year ago things would have been so much simpler."

Rick looked up to see Kate looking shell shocked. She walked herself back against the wall and slid slowly down it and placed her head between her knees.

"You're never going to touch her," Rick growled into the phone.

"We'll see you sooner than you think. Goodbye Rick. Until we meet again Ms. Beckett," and the phone line went dead. Their gazes locked at the mention of her name. They knew she was here.

He threw his phone down and walked over to pull her up and take her in his arms. "They're not going to touch you Kate, I'm here, I'll always be here."

"I know Rick, but what are you going to do? I had my ass handed to me by that man. He took down Javi."

He looked down at her and saw something he rarely saw on her beautiful face…..fear. "You're right Kate, we can't handle this on our own." He paused for a moment before continuing on, "I have an idea, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it…."

* * *

A/N: So there you go. I was going to have Martha be the one walking in, but Alexis just sounded more feasible since she was actually still in town and Martha went to the Hamptons. This story is not only going to be about Rick and Kate. I'm going to briefly touch on some other characters throughout the next however many chapters. Cause Rick and Kate are not going to be the only ones dealing with the fallout from this. Let me know what you guys think.

Jen


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I'd just like to thank everyone who reviewed. Knowing what people like helps me move forward with this story. You all continue to amaze me with your reviews and alerts. Is anyone else going through Castle withdrawals? Mother-in-law thinks I've gone nuts. She has no idea. As promised here is a new chapter. I've gone through it very quickly looking for errors, so if you see something please let me know. _

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own them, but luckily AWM and ABC don't complain when fans like me borrow them for our own amusement._

* * *

"Kate, before I say anything I need to know why you resigned. Frankly, I'm glad Gates suspended you because you needed a wakeup call, but why resign?"

She inwardly cringed, she was hoping that Ryan hadn't told him everything, but apparently in the short conversation he had shared with Castle they had covered a lot of ground.

"I quit because of you Rick," she noticed that his eyes got really big as he started to speak, but she put a hand up to his lips and he closed them to let her continue. "The whole reason I became a cop was to catch my mother's killer. I have come so close, yet remain so far from doing just that. I've wasted so much time obsessing over her case that I almost let you walk out of my life forever. Plus there is the fact that people are trying to kill me over it."

He hugged her closer into him, "but you can't quit Kate."

"But…"

"No," he said a little more forcefully. "As much as I love the fact that you would give up something that has been such a huge part of your life, I can't be the reason you quit. Being a cop is who you are, you may have become one to gain justice for your mother, but along the way you became one of the most intelligent, self-sufficient, bad ass detectives in the city. I mean come on, I wouldn't base a character on some two-bit detective."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled at him.

"Plus it also helps that you're super-hot," as he said the last line she rolled her eyes at him, "Hey now," he said, "You can't yell at me for stating fact."

"Rick, I've made my decision. I've thought it through and it was the right thing to do."

"No Kate, you made a decision during a life and death situation. I'm not going to be the cause of the resentment you may or may not have in the future because you left the 12th. I think you should take some time to rethink your decision and then go talk to Gates about revoking your resignation. You're too good of a cop to quit now. Don't quit now because you think you'll lose everything if you don't. I'm not going anywhere. Just think of all those people who would have never gotten justice for their loved ones if you had never become a cop. There is just so much you have to give that quitting should simply not be an option."

"Rick, I've made up my mind."

"I know you think you have, but just take the time, rethink your decision before it comes down to you not being able to go back. After some time has passed if you still think you've made the right decision then I will support you whole heartedly," he paused for a moment and then smiled, "Just don't take back your decision about wanting me."

Kate smiled up at him as she placed a quick kiss on his lips, "The only regret I'll ever have with you is that I didn't give in sooner." His grin grew so much at her comment that she thought his head was going to split in two. "So what is the big plan for keeping me alive?"

-K/R-

"You're right Rick I don't like it," Kate said as she looked up at the outside of the 12th Precinct.

"Kate, there's nowhere else to go."

"We could leave town, go on a long vacation. Have hot, sweaty sex every night." she blushed a little bit at the last comment. Never in a million years had she ever dreamed that she would be talking about having sweaty sex with Richard Castle.

It had the desired effect on Rick for a few brief moments before reality kicked in, "As much as I would love that, I can't just leave Alexis and Mother here. This is the last summer I have with Alexis before she starts college. I would kind of like to spend time together just two of us, just the three of us," he said with a grin, " I would like you guys to get along since I plan on you being around for a very long time."

Kate smiled at him, "You're right. I'm sorry, I really didn't think about the rest of your family. I need to remember that things are not always just about me."

Rick stood and stared at her for a moment, "This is just so weird."

"What's that?"

"Kate Beckett apologizing to me," he said with a kid like grin. "Usually it's me that is always saying I'm sorry, but here you are saying it all over the place."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it Castle, I don't plan on doing anything stupid again anytime soon."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," as they walked in the building.

-K/R-

The elevator doors opened and they walked onto the floor as they had so many times in the past. But this time was different, they were both civilians. Kate could feel everyone's eyes on her. As they walked through the precinct they walked by her desk and his chair. They passed Ryan's desk and he immediately got up, "Oh thank god you found her, Beckett we've been worried about you." But Kate only briefly spared him a glance and proceeded to walk past him.

Rick looked at Ryan as he followed Kate, "Just give her some time," he said in a hushed tone, "We're on a mission right now."

Ryan nodded and sat back down as Rick caught up with Kate and they knocked on Gates' door.

"Enter," Gates looked up to see Beckett and Castle walk into her office. "Well I have to say after yesterday you are the last person I expected to see in my office."

Rick spoke mainly because he was fearful that Kate would say something she would regret later. "Well, we've had some interesting developments."

He proceeded to tell Gates what had happened that morning and the entire story of what they knew about the dragon. He did however conveniently leave out the parts about Montgomery being the third cop. There was no need to drag his name into the mess that they were already in, plus the way things were going it was eventually going to come out anyway. No need to share the fact that they had concealed that information for the past year. Once he was done explaining everything that had happened Kate and Rick remained in their chairs as they allowed Gates time to process the information they had just thrown at her.

Finally after what seemed like forever she finally spoke, "I'm going to get someone on this to track down the phone number that called you this morning. You," she said motioning to Kate, "Are going to have a detail on you until this situation is resolved." Kate started to say something, but was cut off by Gates, "this is not up for discussion. You," she said pointing to Rick, "Are to call if you receive any more calls regarding this case. You both are in no way shape or form to do any investigating on this case. With both of you being involved anything you would possibly find could very well be thrown out in a trial."

They both started speak, but once again Gates cut them off, "Now go home. Detail will be at your apartment within the hour Beckett. If you go anywhere make sure they know where you are going. Do not under any circumstances try to lose them, they are there to keep you safe, do we have an understanding?" She said looking at both of them with a menacing scowl.

They nodded in agreement and exited the office.

"I don't like the idea of you staying by yourself, I think you should stay with Alexis and me until we are able to find Maddox and whoever else is behind all of this."

Kate looked at him as they walked towards her old desk, "Rick you heard Gates, until Maddox is found they're going to have detail on me 24/7. I'll be fine. Plus I think that before you have any more sleepovers you should probably have a talk with Alexis."

Rick got a pouty look on his face and whined, "Do I have to?"

"Wait here," she said pointing towards his chair besides her old desk. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she said walking off. Rick was puzzled as to where she was going until he saw her stop at Ryan's desk. She must have said something to Ryan because he got up and they walked towards the interrogation rooms. Satisfied that she was safe for the moment, because really who was going to try something in a room full of cops, he sat back and closed his eyes hoping to catch a little cat nap before she returned.

"Mr. Castle!"

Rick jumped in the chair arms flailing. He looked over to see Gates standing next to him.

"How is Beckett really doing?"

"As well as can be expected given the situation."

Gates nodded, "So I'm vaguely curious as to how you both came to be in the same place first thing this morning when you received the phone call."

"Uhhhh…." Rick tried to come up with a good excuse, but for all his creativity he was drawing a blank at the moment.

"I used to be in internal affairs Mr. Castle, nothing escapes my eye, and I just chose whether or not to do anything about what I see. Last year when I sent you with Esposito and Ryan to Atlantic City I wanted to see what Beckett could do on her own. I wanted to see just exactly Roy Montgomery saw in her when he was with us. While she is an amazing Detective, she is an extraordinary one when you are around."

Rick's internal jaw dropped. Was Gates actually saying that he was helpful?

"The little team that you all have formed has to be one of the greatest groups I have ever seen. I'm just very disappointed that it's come to this," Gates said shaking her head in obvious disappointment. "I knew why Beckett had become a cop, and some of the details behind the investigation into her mother's death, but I had no idea that it had gone to such extremes."

"Oh, I think we're getting to a point well beyond extreme."

"Castle, I didn't want to bring this up with her because I fear that if I did it would just worsen the matter at hand. I'm not going to accept her resignation…but it needs to be her that comes back asking for her badge. As much as I would hate to lose a great detective like her, I'm not going to force her to be here if she doesn't want to be."

Rick looked at Gates with a new found respect for the woman. She would never be able to truly replace Montgomery, but she was starting to understand what he always had known about their little group. She was beginning to understand Kate. "I told her pretty much the same thing. That she just needs to take this suspension as time to reflect on everything that has happened and weight all the pros and cons, and hopefully she comes to the conclusion that being a cop is her calling."

"I hope you're right Castle. I'll have Detective Ryan start looking into some possible leads, try and find this Smith character whether alive or dead. Now the detail will be on her within the hour. Whether at her place or yours there will always be someone with her."

"My place?"

"Please Mr. Castle, I'm not blind. It is completely obvious something has changed between the two of you. I'm just amazed that no one else has caught on to what is going on between the two of you. And while I do not approve of relationships between coworkers, since you are technically not officially a New York City police officer you don't really fit into the term of coworker."

Rick smiled at Gates as he realized that this was her way of accepting him and allowing whatever was going on between him and Kate.

"But just know this Mr. Castle," she said leaning forward causing him to lean back in his chair, "if this relationship or whatever you two have going on starts to interfere with my precinct, I will have no hesitations of throwing you out the door."

"Understood."

"I'm glad we had this talk Mr. Castle," Gates said as she started to walk back towards her office.

"The pleasure was all mine Sir," Rick said as he smiled and attempted to resume his nap.

-K/R-

Kate walked over towards Ryan's desk. As she got there he simply stared up at her. "Can we talk?"

"Um….yeah," he said kind of unsure with that answer.

She motioned for him to follow her to one of the interrogation rooms. Once they were there he sat down, but she remained standing.

"Look Beckett, I'm really sorry about what happened. I didn't mean for you guys to get suspended, but you were going about everything the wrong way."

She held up her hand and he stopped talking, "Thank you." Ryan got a puzzled look on his face, but she continued on, "thank you for saving my life, for doing things by the book, for being a true partner and friend."

Ryan let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "I never meant for any of this to happen," he said shaking his head. "Honestly I'm shocked that you're even talking to me right now."

"I didn't mean to be so rude yesterday. I had a lot going through my head as I was packing up and leaving." Kate looked at him with sad eyes, "Have you heard from Javi?"

"No, but I don't plan on hearing from him for a while. Have you heard from him?"

"No, it's my fault he got suspended so I don't expect to hear from him for a while. I might give Lanie a call sometime to see if she's heard anything."

"Do you regret it?"

She knew he was talking about her resignation, "not at the moment, but Castle has convinced me to take the suspension and think things through. He thinks I made a rash decision that I'll regret later."

"Castle's a smart guy. I also think he knows you better than any of us, so if he says to stop and think about it, probably should stop to think."

She walked over to Ryan as he stood up and pulled him into a hug that was very un-Beckett like, "Thanks Ryan for everything. I'll keep in touch, and make sure you let me know if you hear from Javi, okay?"

He nodded at her, "you do the same," he said as she released him and walked out the door.

Once out of the interrogation room she walked towards her old desk and smacked the back of Rick's sleeping form, "Let's go Sleeping Beauty."

"Huh?" Rick looked around momentarily disoriented and then quickly got up to follow Kate.

-K/R-

Ryan watched Castle and Beckett walk towards the elevator. "How the hell am I supposed to figure this out without everyone?"

"You'll figure things out because you're a good detective and you do things by the book," a voice from besides him said. He looked over to see Gates speaking as she was watching the duo leave, "Well, mostly by the book."

"You think so," he said as he watched the elevator doors close.

"I do. Now I need you to look into few things," she said handing Ryan a file. He looked down at the file and then looked back up at Gates as she spoke again, "This case just got a whole lot more interesting."

* * *

_A/N: So there you go. I don't necessarily know if things will happen this quickly come September, but I like it, so eh… We still do have things to resolve though such as: Will our favorite bromance survive? Will Castle survive the father-daughter talk? Where the heck has Lanie been? I mean come on we all know she's gonna have to throw her two cents into the mix. Will they find Maddox before he finds Kate? How is the issue of the dragon going to be handled since there is no way for it to be solved in a few days? Will there be some loving between our favorite couple? Well I can safely say that the answer to the last question is yes. This story is rated M for goodness sake, it's about time I earn that M. Let me know what you guys think. I'm preparing for a three day weekend so hopefully I will have plenty of time to write the next chapter. Until next time._

_Jen_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Well, I didn't stick to my weekly updates, I just haven't had the energy lately so it took me awhile to get this written. I present to you my next chapter. It is shorter than the previous chapters, but these few scenes probably need to be set apart from what I have coming up next. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it._

* * *

"Hey there girl."

Lanie jumped and turned around to see Javier Esposito leaning up against the door to the morgue.

"Javier you scared the crap out of me! Where the hell have you been?"

"I've been around. Have a lot of time on my hands right now, so I'm just weighing my options.

"You're not choosing colleges Javier," Lanie said as she rolled her eyes at him. She paused for just a moment and then turned back around to her table before she spoke, "Ryan called me about what happened."

"That boy needs to really learn how to keep his mouth shut. If he would have just done that we wouldn't be in this mess," Esposito grumbled.

Lanie shot back around, took a few steps forward, and pointed her finger at him, "You both would more than likely be dead right now!"

Esposito took a step back due to the intensity of her anger before getting huffy at her reaction, "Oh so I see you're taking his side?"

"There are no sides in this to take. You guys were wrong, period. Ryan was the only one with a level head in that room. I'm kind of surprised though that Castle didn't say anything. Usually when it comes to Kate he speaks up a little bit more."

Esposito's face developed a look that Lanie knew all too well, "Well, ummm….."

"Javier what aren't you telling me?"

"Beckett threw Castle out the day before this all happened. I haven't seen him since then."

Lanie threw him a look that made him want to crawl under a rock. "Idiots, I'm surrounded by a bunch of idiots. First, she throws out Castle, and then you guys disown Ryan because he did his job and basically saved your life." Looking downward Lanie pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers and took a deep breath, "Have you heard from Kate?"

"No, I'm not too concerned though. More than likely she wants to be alone right now. I'll try getting a hold of her in a few days once things have calmed down."

"Well she's not answering her phone so good luck trying to get a hold of her that way," Lanie said turning back to her work.

Esposito took the sight of her back as his cue to leave. As he turned to leave the room he looked back one last time, "I'm sure she's fine Lanie. She always bounces back eventually. I'll see you later."

Lanie just shook her head and said to herself, "Yeah, but anymore she usually she has Castle by her side."

-K/R-

"I'm home!"

Rick walked in and threw his keys down. He glanced towards the living room and saw Alexis sitting on the couch staring straight at him.

"So Dad, you wanna tell me what I walked in on this morning?"

"Well, ummmm…"

"Because it looked like Detective Beckett and you have decided that enough is enough and have finally given into what everyone has known for years."

Rick was trying to make sense of what his daughter had just said, "Wait, what do you mean what everyone has known for years."

"Oh please Dad, Lanie has been telling me all about the theories that they have. Not to mention she has completely ruined pancakes for me." Alexis closed her eyes and paused for a moment before finally moving on, "I really wish she had kept that story to herself."

"Oh come on, pancakes? Really? They were just pancakes. I can't believe that is still an issue after all of this time." He looked at Alexis to see her shaking her head at him. "So…speaking purely hypothetically of course," he said making quotation marks with his hands.

"Oh of course," Alexis said rolling her eyes a little bit at her father.

"So hypothetically if I were to be possibly seeing Kate, um…..Beckett, how would you feel about that?"

Alexis paused for a moment before speaking, "Well, I'm going to be going to college soon and I won't always be able to be here for you. I think in some ways I always knew that she would eventually step into the role of keeping an eye on you. I just want you to be happy Dad. Are you happy?"

"At the moment, very."

"Well then who am I to stand in the way?" Alexis smiled at him for a brief moment that was quickly replaced with a serious look. "When she was shot," she watched her father cringe at the memory of Detective Beckett being shot at Captain Montgomery's funeral last year. "When that happened as horrible as it was I was mad at her for what happened. No, mad doesn't even begin to cover it, furious. It could have been you. The fact that she was someone you would take a bullet for without even a second thought really got to me. Four years Dad you've been spending more and more time at the precinct, with her, and I guess I just became a little jealous."

Rick started to speak, but Alexis stopped him and continued.

"I was still upset with her when you and Gram were caught up in the whole bank robbery thing. I might have been a little harsh while I was talking to her, but after everything was said and done I realized that maybe this wasn't just one sided on your part. I think I always thought that she had no problem with you being in the middle of things and being in life or death situations. I think in that instance I realized, that I didn't give her enough credit. She would risk her life to save you. I think that she has always been willing to give her life for yours, it just hasn't been as obvious until this last year."

Alexis finally stopped talking and saw that her father had a huge grin on his face.

"So I take it this means you're okay with Beckett and I being together. Hypothetically of course," he said using his hands again.

"Dad! Enough with the hypothetical, I'm fine with it. Can you please stop making quotations with your hands? Also, can you try to make sure that you keep your activities away from areas of the house where I eat my food," she said as she shuddered just a little bit. "Besides, it will be nice to have another woman around the loft besides Gram."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it can now be three to one when it comes to dinner and movies. Plus, maybe I will finally have someone to back me up in laser tag."

Rick lunged forward and gripped his daughter in a great big hug. "I'm so glad you're okay with this. Once I go shower and change I'm gonna go over and see her, you'll be okay if I don't come home tonight right?"

"I'm eighteen. I think I can figure out how to survive on my own."

"Great, and also if you ever come home and happen to see….oh I don't know, a couple of officers standing guard at the front door, that just means that Kate is here, no big deal," he said as he started to walk off towards his room.

"Wait, what?" Alexis yelled after him. "Dad what is going on now?"

He turned back around, "Beckett kind of has someone trying to kill her again."

"What? Dad! Maybe you should have started the conversation with that piece of information?"

"Would it have changed your mind?"

"Well….no, but if you two are going to become an _'item'_," she said while using the quotations her father was so fond of today, "then if something happens to Detective Beckett I care."

"Aww…..sweetie that's so sweet." Rick paused for a moment before throwing one more piece of information her way. "And she's no longer Detective, she resigned yesterday," he said as he hightailed it to his room.

"Dad!"

"We'll have her over for dinner and she can explain everything to you honey," he said entering his room and turning around. "I'm really glad we had this talk," smiling he closed his door leaving her in the living room with a shocked look on her face.

Alexis sat back down on the couch thinking out loud, "Well, things are going to get very interesting around here."

-K/R-

As Kate entered her apartment she threw her keys on the table and her duffel in the entry way. She looked around trying to figure out what to do next. The detail was already positioned outside her door and there was also a unit watching the building. At the moment there was really nothing else that could be done. Glancing around she realized that even with all of the precautions she still didn't feel safe. She wanted Rick to be by her side. He had a calming effect on her that she didn't realize she needed until just this moment.

She wasn't for sure how the conversation with Alexis was going to go so she wasn't for sure if she would hear from Rick again today. Deciding that a nice long bubble bath and a good book might help calm her after everything that had happened in the last few days she walked over to her book shelf and grabbed one of Rick's books. She wasn't even for sure which one she grabbed, but it didn't matter she knew them all by heart. Walking to her bedroom she figured that once she was done with the bath she'd give him a call. That would have hopefully given him some time to talk to his daughter. She really wanted to hear his voice, but didn't want to intrude.

Ten minutes later as she sank down in the warmth of the bath water she opened her book and lost herself in one of the books written by the man she loved.

-K/R-

He looked up at the window that led to Kate Beckett's living room. The men she had guarding her were only a minor obstacle easily overcome given a little time. The phone rang, "Hello?"

"Is it done?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Soon, they're not going to make it easy on us. She has a detail now where ever she goes. We'll have to be cautious of how we handle this now as to not draw too much attention to the situation. Ideally I would like to try and make it look random just like her mother, but I'm not sure if that is possible anymore."

"Just take care of it! I want it taken care of and I don't want there to be anything linking it back to me."

"I understand," and the call cut off as Maddox put away his phone.

_Soon Kate Beckett you'll only be a memory_.

* * *

_A/N: So there we go. Once again, apologies for this taking so long. I think I've found my groove again so hopefully I can get mostly caught up and resume the weekly updates. In the next chapter, we will be getting some long overdue loving between our favorite couple. That's all I have for now. As always let me know what you think._

_Jen_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Wow, so life has really intervened with my writing as of late. To make up for my long absence here is some Caskett smut. Not the longest bit of smut I have ever written, but smut none the less. I have read thru this countless times, but it is almost 1am in the morning and I am tired. I will fix any mistakes tomorrow. This chapter is long overdue. Enjoy._

* * *

Kate was jolted awake by someone knocking at the front door. She let out a groan when she realized that she had fallen asleep and was currently sitting in a tub full of lukewarm water. "Ugh," she said placing a hand on each side of the tub and pulling herself out very carefully. She was finally starting to feel the effects of her fight with Maddox the day before. Well almost all of it was the fight with Maddox, she had a feeling that some of it was due to the insane amount of sex her and Castle had accomplished the previous night. She was sore in places that she didn't even know existed on her body. Grabbing a towel she wrapped it around her and walked into the bedroom. The knocking persisted. She was starting to get irritated, but then realized that if it was the detail trying to get her attention and she wasn't answering they might start to worry and break down the door. Really not wanting to explain to the landlord how that happened she yelled, "I'll be right there." The knocking immediately ceased. She wasn't expecting anyone so figuring it wouldn't take long she grabbed her fluffy white bathrobe. The one that Castle had insisted she take home with her from L.A., and slipped it over her shoulders securing the belt around her slender waist. Walking through the apartment she opened the door expecting to see one of the officers on detail, but instead was greeted with a bright eyed Castle holding Chinese food.

"So I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some food."

She gave him a great big smile and opened the door motioning for him to enter the apartment.

"That robe looks really familiar," Rick said with a slight grin as he set down the food in her kitchen.

"Really," she asked. "I got it from a hotel I stayed at about a year ago."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I was there with a ruggedly handsome writer."

"You lucky girl you," he said giving her a little wink.

Rick went over to grab a couple of plates and glasses out of the cabinet and Kate started to take food out of the bag. As she set the first carton down on the counter she paused for a moment and looked up at Rick. Noticing she had ceased all movement Rick looked at her trying to determine what was wrong.

"So am I always going to be a mystery you're never going to solve?" Kate said as she continued to pull cartons out of the bag.

Rick looked as her and smiled, "No, I'll solve it eventually. It will probably take a very long time. Years even, but that's just me. I'm a dedicated person like that."

He walked around the kitchen island to stand right in front of her. Kate didn't even bother to move knowing that she would always want to be caught by Rick. Quick as lightning he lifted her up onto the counter.

"On another note I believe that we have some unfinished business from earlier today," he said wrapping his arms around her tightly.

She pushed him back slightly, "That reminds me, how did the talk with Alexis go?"

"Details," he said slipping his hands inside her robe and caressing her from the side of her rib cage down to her waist. She trembled at the feel of his strong hands gliding so softly over her skin. Moving back towards her, Rick leaned down and placed a kiss right below her ear. "We have more important things to worry about right now."

"Oh really, and what would that be?" Kate said biting her lip.

"Well, getting you naked is priority number one," he said opening the robe to reveal her gorgeous body. He let out a ragged breath as he took a moment to just admire the woman in front of him. "Do you even know how beautiful you are Kate?"

"If the way you are constantly staring at me all the time is any indication, then yeah, I have some idea," she said reaching between them to start unbuttoning his shirt.

Rick was momentarily distracted by her hands until he finally realized that she wasn't wearing any panties. Why it had taken him till just now to realize the obvious was beyond him, but he planned to take full advantage. Just as she was undoing the last button on his shirt he quickly ripped it off and threw it somewhere on the kitchen floor and proceeded to kneel down in front of her and part her legs.

Of all the things she thought they were going to do in the next hour or so this was not one of them. This was something new between them. They really hadn't focused on anything like this last night. Both of them had really been more focused on him being inside of her. But now that they had crossed that line it seemed like there was no going back at this point. There was just such intimacy surrounding this act that Kate had to finally stop her internal monologue and just go with it as she looked down at what Rick was getting ready to do.

Rick reached between her legs and parted her folds. She was the epitome of perfection. And before she could even think about protesting he leaned forward and gently licked. Kate was so wired that she almost jumped off the counter at the contact. He reached up with both arms to hold her legs in place and to keep her from any more sudden movements. Before she could do anything else he slid two fingers inside her and used his tongue to stimulate her sensitive nub.

She used her arms to brace herself from falling over, but she didn't know how much more of this delicious torture she could endure.

Within minutes the orgasm hit her like a freight train. She struggled for breath as he continued to move his fingers and tongue. His persistence led to a second one only a few minutes later. The man was insatiable and as she tried to catch her breath he looked up from between her legs and gave her a gorgeous smile. She couldn't help but smile back as she reached down and brought his face back up to hers. Leaning in to kiss him she could taste herself on his lips. Wrapping her arms around his neck she lost herself in the man who had always been there for her regardless of how idiotic she became at times.

He wanted to enter he right then and there on that countertop, but that seemed just a little too cliché, so he started to lift her up. Realizing what he was trying to do she quickly wrapped her legs around him with ease as he started to move in the general direction towards her bedroom. She brought him in close and frantically pressed her lips to his too caught up in the passion of the moment. He returned the kiss and let her take control of it as she deepened it. When she bit down on his lower lip and then gently sucked the same spot he became unglued. Immediately he pressed her up against the nearest wall and started another all-out assault on her senses.

She reached down between them and started to unbutton his pants. Once the zipper was down she tried to shove them downward with her hands, but to no avail. Trying to form a complete thought while he was working his way down her neck was proving to be difficult. Finally giving up she slipped her feet in the back of his pants and dragged them down over his hips and towards the ground. Reaching down she grasped him gently in her hand and guided him in excruciatingly slow.

They both let out simultaneous moans of pleasure once he was in fully they just stood there for a moment enjoying the sensation. He started moving slow at first, but soon he couldn't control himself and was driving into her as fast as his body could move.

She matched him stroke for stroke and threw her head back against the wall. She overlooked the pain the action caused and threw herself into the moment. She was so close to going over the edge again that this couldn't go on for much longer. "Rick…" she said in between thrusts, "I'm almost…."

"Oh thank god…." He moaned as he moved in and out a couple of more times before he found his release and took her with him over the cliff of ecstasy.

-K/R-

Sometime later they were sprawled out on her bed in postcoital daze. Kate was lying on her back as Rick was lying beside her with his head resting over her heart. They both remained motionless as he listened to the beat of her heart.

"I will never get tired of hearing this," he said as he closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm pretty fond of the sound myself," Kate said while letting out a small chuckle. The next moment a serious look appeared on her face, "How long can we do this Rick?"

Lifting his head he shot her a panicked look, "We've only been doing this for a little over a day and you want to give up already?"

She looked down and leaned in to give him a quick kiss, "No you silly boy, I'm not talking about us." Kate noticed that he visibly relaxed at her statement. "I actually hope we can do this," she said motioning between them, "for a very long time."

"Maybe even forever." Rick said as a statement without hesitation. He noticed that she had stopped breathing after he had spoken. A brief smile crossed his face, "Too soon?"

"Just a little bit," she said with a hint of a smile, "but I haven't freaked out and I'm not grabbing for clothes and running out the door so that is progress."

"This is true. So what were you referring to my dear?"

"How long can we hide from this? How long can we try and pretend that police protection will be enough to stop them from getting to me?" Kate said as she started to pull away from him, but he draped an arm around her refusing to let go.

"We'll make it work Kate," he said looking directly at her with a look that always pierced her soul. "It's not just us anymore that knows what is going on. It's only a matter of time before we find out who is behind everything that has gone on for the past twenty years, but until that time I'll be here with my rapier wit to save the day."

She looked at him and smiled remembering the last time she had used that phrase with him, "You're never going to let me forget that remark are you."

He smiled at her, "I look fondly upon that time. It was the first time I was really allowed in your apartment, and it was also the first time I got to see you seconds after you woke up. You looked adorable that morning by the way," Rick said as he noticed a slight blush creep across Kate's face. "I consider that night a milestone in our relationship."

Kate rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay, a milestone other than the fact that Dunn was after you and said apartment blew up not too soon after."

She let a smile grace her face and before he could say anything else she had flipped them so that he was on his back and she was sprawled out on top of him. Leaning down she let her lips gently graze his chin. "Tomorrow we're gonna go talk to Gates and see if she's learned anything new."

"I gathered when we were in there this morning that she wasn't going to be very forthcoming with any evidence that they gathered. I guess we could always ask Ryan?"

"No!" Kate said rather abruptly making Rick do a double take of the beautiful woman currently straddling him on the bed. "It's just that he's already done so much, I don't want to get him in hot water over this. If Gates doesn't want to share anything, then I guess we just won't be in the loop."

Rick stared up at her, "Who are you and what have you done with Kate?"

"Oh she's still here, and oh the things she's gonna do to you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he said as he leaned up real quick to steal a kiss.

"Oh I fully intend on keeping these promises," she said as she started kissing her way down his body.

-K/R-

Ryan and Gates stood in the middle of a room across town.

"This is where the call made to Castle's phone came from," Ryan paused as he looked around the room. "But I just don't understand." The room was in pristine order. Nothing was out of place. It looked like no one had been home in weeks, let alone in the last twenty-four hours.

"There has to be an explanation," Gates said as she surveyed the room. "Something happened here. I don't believe for a second that Castle was lying to us. If it's anything like what has been going on with Johanna Beckett's case all of these years, someone has gone through a lot of work to cover up whatever happened in this room"

Ryan simply looked at Captain Gates in disbelief. "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day where you gave Castle a little credit for something."

Gates stifled a laugh. "I've learned in dealing with Mr. Castle that he has some pretty out there theories, and sometimes those theories actually do lead us to the truth. But, where Detective Beckett is concerned I know that if he says something happened, he's telling us the honest to god truth. We just have to figure out what is going on with the information we have in our possession."

"Which is basically a whole lot of nothing," Ryan said as he glanced around the room. His eyes paused on what looked like a loose floor board. Walking over he crouched down to get a closer look. He noticed what looked like a piece of paper slightly sticking out.

"What do you have Ryan?" Gates said coming up behind him.

"Well, I'm not for sure," he said reaching down and lifting the board. It moved with ease and revealed a piece of paper and a jump drive. He motioned for one of the crime scene people to come over. "Take a picture of this," he asked motioning towards the apparent hiding place. Once pictures were taken he reached down to retrieve the items. "I wonder what is on this?" he said handing the drive over to Gates.

"We'll find out once we get back to the precinct." she said putting the item in an evidence bag. "What's on the piece of paper?"

Ryan picked up the paper and unfolded it. As he read what it said his face went ashen.

"Well Detective, what does it say?"

Ryan was unable to say anything at the moment so he just handed the paper over to Gates.

As she started to read the paper she started to realize that they were quite possibly in way over their heads.

_Good luck to those who try to stop the Dragon. Everyone who attempts to discover the truth inevitably only finds death._

* * *

_A/N: Wow, so this story took a bit of a turn that I wasn't expecting. There will probably be a few more surprises as this story unfolds. As we start to really get into the case please note that I am in no way and expert on these things and more than likely will take a lot of liberties to make everything fit to my story telling. Thank you all for being so patient with my updates. I really wanted to do weekly updates, and I still have hopes of maybe one day getting back on track. But the way things are going I might never make up the time. Please drop me a line and let me know what you think of this turn of events. I love to hear from people, it really does motivate me to write when I know that people out there are actually reading. I'd also like to give thanks to the person who anonymously left me a review the other day. Truly inspiring words that led me to get off my butt and actually finish and post this chapter. I will update when I have time. Thank you all for sticking around._

_Jen_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Here is the next installment of this story. I've been MIA for a long time and for that I'm sorry. This is not going to be done by the premiere obviously, but I'm going to stick with it for as long as it takes me to finish it the way it needs to be finished. I want to thank everyone that is still around for this story. My original plan was to update weekly, but as many of you know real life has a way of throwing a wrench in the best laid plans. So without further ado….._

_Disclaimer: If I owned it we would not still be in the LONGEST HIATUS EVER…._

* * *

The next morning Rick and Kate walked into the precinct and found themselves in the middle of what one could only describe as rush hour.

Rick looked around, "What the hell is going on here?"

Kate shook her head with disbelief, "Your guess is as good as mine Castle."

"Beckett! Castle! In my office now!" They both simultaneously jumped as they heard Gates yell their names across the bullpen. All of the sudden everything seemed to freeze. Everyone stopped to stare at the couple and then glancing over towards Gates. In the silence you could hear a pin drop.

"Do you two not understand the meaning of the word NOW!" Gates shouted once again. The room all of the sudden was once again a blur of activity.

Rick and Kate hurried into Gates office and sat down waiting for her to say something.

Gates looked up at the two of them and took a moment before finally letting out the breath no one even realized she was holding. "We found something."

Kate literally stopped breathing. Not even registering that she had stopped until Rick gently placed his hand on her knee and whispered, "Breathe."

Gates gave them both another moment before continuing. "Well I guess we should say Ryan found something. We went to the location where your," she motioned to Castle, "Mr. Smith made the call from. We found no evidence of foul play, but we did discover a letter and a jump drive."

"What did the letter say?" Rick asked.

"That's irrelevant." Gates didn't want to be sharing any of this with them. They were already in deep enough and didn't need to be drug farther down.

"What was on the jump drive?" Kate asked bracing herself for what she knew the answer was going to be.

Gates took off her glasses and placed them on her desk. "There were a lot of financials, some pictures, and a few names."

Kate was mentally trying to prepare herself for what was coming next.

"There is one thing though that I need to know from you both." Rick and Kate both looked up at Gates with puzzled expressions. "I need to know how long you both have known that Roy Montgomery was the third cop."

Since Rick's face dropped immediately Gates basically knew her answer right there, but Kate remained stone faced. It was really starting to creep Gates out a little. "Well you two? I don't have all day."

"Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about," Kate said in her cool, calm, and collected voice.

"That's what Detective Ryan said too. Mr. Castle? What about you?"

"Ummmm…." Rick looked lost for a brief moment before finally pointing at Kate, "What she said."

"Really? We're going to go this route? Fine. It doesn't matter anyway. Roy Montgomery had already been under investigation by internal affairs a few years before his death."

Kate finally dropped her guard and allowed her face to sink, letting Gates know that this information of him being investigated was news to her.

"There's no sense in bringing up old memories, but the information on that drive basically confirmed the identity of the person who had your mother killed and also confirmed the people whom this person took advantage of to gain the notoriety that they have today."

Rick looked over at Kate to see her face completely void of any emotion.

Kate looked at Gates, "Who is the one responsible?"

"Now Kate," Gates said grabbing the attention of both of them for using her first name. "Before I say anything I want you to know that besides you two and myself the only other person who has seen the information on this drive is Detective Ryan."

Kate looked at Rick confused before looking back to the Captain, "Well then why is everyone going a mile a minute around here?"

Gates in a rare moment of familiarity smiled, "Due to the nature of the information I have sent the rest of the precinct on a wild goose chase to try and cover up what we are about to try and prove."

Rick smiled at Gates, "Welcome to the dark side Captain. If I would have known you would be joining us I would have brought cookies."

Kate gave him a half serious shove while the Captain gave him an irritated look.

"I'm going to bring back Detective Esposito because frankly I'm not sure who we can trust when it comes to this case."

"Does that mean you're going to let me come back also?" Kate said with a bit of hope in her voice.

"No," Gates said firmly. "It's probably bad enough I'm sharing this information with you, but you will not be a part of the actual investigation."

"But.." Kate started to say before Gates interrupted.

"No buts about it Beckett, you're too close to this case and your life has already been in jeopardy too many times already as a result of your involvement with this case. Against my better judgment I will keep you somewhat informed, but for the most part the farther you are from this case the better."

Kate slumped down in the chair knowing deep down that Gates was right. The near death experiences were starting to pile up with this case and with her last realization that life was too short she wasn't in any hurry to chance fate any time soon. "Can I at least know who?"

"Kate is that really a good idea?" Rick said a little hesitantly.

"No, I need to know this," Kate said as if she was trying to convince herself, "if I'm going to get past this case I need to know who."

Gates looked at Kate with sympathetic eyes. She knew that this was information that the detective had been after for years, but she was unsure of whether or not Kate could handle this kind of information without interfering or holding onto her vendetta. The information was going to open more than one can of worms. For reassurance Gates looked over at Castle. He was staring at Beckett with a look of worry.

He turned to see Gates starting at him knowing the question in her eyes. She wanted to know if Kate was strong enough to handle the information that she possessed. In all honesty he wasn't sure if she could or not. Until a few days ago it seemed like every time a major event occurred regarding her mother's case they always ended up fighting due to the fact that she was knowingly putting herself in danger. At least this time she had come to her senses, but it had taken a brush with death to make that happen. He wanted to give her the benefit of a doubt that this time would be different. That she would realize that she needed to let someone else handle the information. Now that she was his there was no way he was giving her up. He closed his eyes and gave a slight nod to Gates.

Gates dropped her head for a moment before she spoke. "I'm going to give you the name with the understanding that you will not do a thing to pursue them. You will let us handle it. Once I speak the name you are going to take a brief moment and then you are going to walk out of this office and not speak of this to anyone. Do you understand?"

Kate nodded her head while mentally crossing her fingers. There was no way she was going to let Ryan and Esposito put their lives on the line for this case. In some way she was going to help.

"According to the information that Mr. Smith had the person responsible for all of this is... Senator Arthur Davidson."

-K/R-

They both walked out of Gates' office. Kate was still in shock over the information that they had just been given.

As they neared the elevator something occurred to Rick and he turned to Kate, "Wait a second….."

"Not here Castle," she knew where he was going. It was something that she was trying to wrap her mind around and there were so many questions that needed to be answered, but they had to get out of the precinct first. "We're going to go back to my place and talk okay?"

Rick nodded his head and they remained in a state of silence until they arrived at the apartment. He took her key from her to unlock the door. He went in first and out of habit glanced around the space. Nothing seemed out of place. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small red flashing light coming from a box on her kitchen table. It was then that he noticed a beeping noise that seemed to be increasing in frequency at an alarming pace. _"Oh god this couldn't be? Not again?"_ he thought.

Rick turned quickly pushing her back towards the door "Kate run!"

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_A/N: Once again thank you guys so much for being patient. This is probably one of my shorter chapters, but after such a long wait I wanted to get something out. As always please let me know what you thought._

_Jen_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: So here is the next installment. I guess now that the season has started we enter AU territory. Yay! Enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I do not, nor shall I ever own any of these characters. They belong to ABC and AWM, who believe that putting a fandom in Caskett overdrive for an entire summer and then putting them out of their misery with the first three episodes of season five is just another day well done._

* * *

"Rick, what…." was all Kate could get out before he was shoving her back out of her apartment and down the hall towards the stairwell. They had only made it halfway down the hall before a loud "_boom_" sounded behind them and the walls shook with a frightening intensity. On instinct Rick pushed them both on the ground and shielded Kate with his body. After what seemed like an eternity he lifted himself up and looked back towards the apartment. He could still see flames coming through the doorway, but for the most part it looked like maybe the blast had been contained to her apartment. He jumped up to his feet and reached down to pick up Kate. Reaching over to the wall he pulled the nearby fire alarm.

"Are you okay," he said giving her a once over to make sure that she wasn't hurt.

She looked over him to make sure he was alright, then down at herself, and finally she glanced over to where her front door used to be and took a long deep breath. Looking over she noticed that Rick was on the phone.

He hung up with whomever he was talking to, "We need to get out of here. Gates said to go back to the loft and she'll call us with any information."

"But….my apartment Rick," Kate said. He looked over at her noticing that she was slowly starting to lose it.

"Kate," he whispered her name and she immediately looked up into his blue eyes and he could see something that he had only caught glimpses of in the past…..trust. "Everything is going to be okay, but we need to go."

"Okay," she said as she grabbed his hand and they ran towards the stairwell.

-K/B-

"Hello?"

"Is it done?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Because this woman seems to have nine lives. This was supposed to be taken care of last year. But apparently even a bullet to the heart can't stop the bitch. Now I'm going to ask you again, is she dead?"

"Ye…..", Maddox started to say, but then stopped as he noticed a couple exiting the building. It couldn't be, he thought to himself, but sure enough there was Kate Beckett leaving the building with Richard Castle. "Son of a ….I'll call you back."

"Now listen here, when I hired you it was for the specific purpose of silencing Kate Beckett. So far you've failed me multiple times. Fail me again and it will be the last time, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." The silence on the other end told him that the senator had disconnected the call.

-K/R-

Captain Victoria Gates surveyed the damage as she watched Detectives Ryan and Esposito taking witness statements. She was beginning to understand just how much of an issue this case had become for Detective Beckett. "Detective Ryan!" The detective turned and walked over to where Gates was standing. "What do we have?"

"Blast was meant to only destroy the inside of the apartment. This was different from the last time her apartment exploded. This time the place is a total loss."

Gates remembered reading about the last time this happened to Detective Beckett in her file. "When you and Esposito are done taking statements I want you to go over to Castle's and find out how they are doing. We're going to get to the bottom of this mess. I'll be damned if I'm going to lose either one of them."

"Yes sir," Ryan said as he walked away to inform Esposito of their next step. "Hey bro!" he said as he walked up to Esposito.

"I'm not your bro detective," he responded coldly and stone faced.

"Come on Javi, I was only trying to protect you guys."

"I don't want to hear it. We were supposed to be a family and you turned your back on us and betrayed that family," Esposito said as he walked off. As he walked away he knew that he had overreacted, but it was too late to turn back now without hurting his pride.

Ryan let his head hang down in sadness and frustration as he followed after him.

Gates witnessed the exchange between her two detectives and shook her head. _Those boys need to resolve their issues._

-K/R-

Rick and Kate made it into the loft and shut the door before Kate finally allowed herself to breakdown over what had just occurred in the last forty-five minutes.

"They took everything from me," Kate said as she sank into a puddle by the front door. "At least when Dunn blew up my apartment he had the decency to have the blast affect only part of the apartment. I was able to salvage some of my belongings. Now it's all gone…..it's gone Castle….everything is gone!"

Rick sank down to her level to and gathered her up in a warm embrace. "We don't know yet whether it was a total loss, but you know what?" His question was met with silence. "You are still here," he said tightening his grip on her and placing his head against hers. "Yes some items can't be replaced, but what matters is that you are still here."

She looked into his blue eyes through the haze of her tears, "and you're still here."

"Yes I am," he said. He could feel some of the tension leave her body and she snuggled back into his warmth as he spoke those words. As they sat, there was still a large cloud hanging over them. "Kate?"

She took a deep breath knowing exactly what he was going to ask. "What?"

"The name Gates gave u…" he paused trying to find the right words, "Is that…Is that who I think it is?"

Closing her eyes lifted her head and opened her eyes to stare straight into the depths of his beautiful blue eyes, "Yeah, Josh's father."

"But….how the….When you guys…So what…was that just the universe playing some sick joke on you?"

"I don't know what it was Rick, right now I just want to crawl up in a ball and get a few hours' sleep. We can talk more about this later. Okay?"

"Of course," he said kissing the top of her head as they remained up against the door in a comfortable silence.

-K/R-

A knock on the front door jolted them both awake.

"Are you expecting anyone," Kate looked up a Rick waiting for an answer.

"No," he said with a worried expression on his face. They both scrambled to get off the floor.

Kate reached for her piece only to realize that it wasn't there. "Damn, and my extra piece was in my apartment."

Rick threw up his hands like a light bulb went off in his head. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed a chef's knife and then sprinted over to the fire place to grab the decorative fireplace poker.

She was momentarily distracted from the question of who was at the door and simply stared at him, amazed that he hadn't tripped yet and hurt himself with the knife. When he finally made it back holding his weapons proudly in front of him she simply shook her head. "More than likely the person at the door isn't a threat."

"Well how do you know that?"

"Because with the amount of time it took after the knock, and the amount of racket that you were making on your quest around the loft they would have known something was going on and either left or just burst through the door."

Rick felt a little deflated after that revelation but held out the knife to her anyways, "Better somewhat safe than sorry." He motioned for her to take the knife from him. After letting out an 'I give up' sigh, she took the knife and they both turned back towards the front door.

"Say something Rick," she whispered to him.

"Who's there?" he spoke to the door.

"It's Ryan and Esposito," they heard Ryan say on the other side of the door.

Kate turned to Rick with an '_I told you so'_ look and reached for the door handle. She started to turn the handle until Rick stopped her, "Wait! What if they're not alone? What if Maddox is with them and they're being forced to remain cool in order to gain access and then Maddox will kill us all and they'll never find the bodies?"

She shot him a death glare that had him immediately backing up. "Uh…or maybe we should just let them in?"

Shaking her head she finished opening the door to reveal two irritated looking detectives.

"Took you long enough to open the damn door," Esposito said walking in the door.

"Sorry Javi. We're a little paranoid here," she said turning to Rick.

"What?" Rick said trying to play the innocent victim.

Once the guys were in the apartment they stood there waiting for the question that they knew was coming.

"My apartment?" She asked the two of them. From the looks on their faces she already had her answer, but she needed them to say it out loud.

"Total loss Kate," Esposito said not sugar coating his answer at all, "Sorry girl."

She felt sick and if not for the fact that Rick was at her side in a flash she would have fallen in a heap on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her as he simply held onto her until she could compose herself.

The boys looked back and forth between the pair and then Ryan finally spoke up, "Ummm….is there something we should know about guys?"

Rick looked over at them shook his head and mouthed the words, _not now_. The guys nodded and accepted the answer knowing that Beckett had already been through a lot today and didn't need them giving her a hard time.

Kate quickly composed herself and reluctantly pulled away from Rick's embrace, "So where do we go from here?"

"For starters we need to find Maddox before he has another chance to try and finish the job," Ryan said as they all started towards the dining room table.

"A detail is already positioned outside the door. They'll remain here if you leave and there is another unit on the street that will follow if you choose to go anywhere." Esposito looked between Castle and Beckett. "I'm assuming that you're going to be staying here until further notice?" he asked Beckett.

"Since I find myself homeless once again…yes."

Where is Alexis?" Esposito asked.

"My mother picked her up and they went to the Hamptons. They're gone for a few days, but it can be longer if I call them."

"Let's wait and see how things go first," Ryan said. He looked at Kate, "Gates told us the name of the man behind all of this. Is that any relation to…?"

"It's his father."

"Damn girl, you don't have the greatest luck with guys.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious Javi."

"Sorry."

"So let's get to work guys," Rick said as he looked around the table. "First we deal with the immediate threat…..Maddox. Then we can worry about the Senator."

* * *

_A/N: I'm so terrible at updating, but hopefully this wasn't really a cliffhanger like the last chapter. We didn't resolve much, but at least it's an update. I always appreciate reviews as they give me insight into how you guys think I am doing with the story._

_Jen_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I have no excuses except for life, love, writer's block, and a lot of morning sickness. I'm not promising anything, but if you're still reading, thanks._

_Disclaimer: I do not, nor shall I ever own any of these amazing characters *sad face*_

* * *

As Kate opened her eyes all she saw was darkness. She momentarily panicked before she came to the realization that she was enveloped in a soft cocoon of warmth. In an instant all of the day's events came rushing back at her and she remembered that she was currently at Castle's loft, which was more than likely going to be her home for the time being if he had any say in the matter.

Unwrapping herself from the comfort of Castle's bed she threw her feet over the edge of the bed and sat up. She glanced down to make sure she was wearing clothes and proceeded to get up and walk towards the kitchen. When she reached the doorway of the office she stopped to take in the sight before her. Castle, Ryan, and Esposito were all in the kitchen deep in conversation and didn't see her watching them.

"Man we've gotta get this guy. Beckett can't be running scared the rest of her life. That's not who she is and you guys know it." Esposito said as he slammed down his drink.

"We know that man, but how can we hunt someone we can't even begin to find?" Ryan asked.

"Look guys, what if I took her somewhere?" Castle suggested. "We could go to California, Canada, or maybe she'd like to go to Paris? Wait scratch that, I wouldn't want to be on foreign soil if something were to happen."

"That's a nice thought bro," Esposito said, "But would she really be safe wherever you took her? These people apparently have deep pockets and the means to find anyone no matter what."

Castle seemed to contemplate what Esposito has just said when Ryan jumped in, "I think it's better to stick around than to run. Running shows weakness and that is the last thing we want to portray at the moment." Castle started to nod his head in agreement when Esposito openly and very vocally scoffed at the comment.

"Oh drop it Javi, I'd do what I did over again in a heartbeat. Or would you have wanted to been the one to tell Castle here that because we failed to protect her, the woman he loved died at the hands of the same people behind her mother's murder?"

The room was immediately cast in silence as what was just said sunk in with everyone, including Kate. The look on Ryan's face showed his own surprise as he realized just what he had said. It was then that Kate decided to make herself known, "We're not running," she said as she started to walk through the living room. All three men turned towards her with wide eyes realizing that she had more than likely heard their entire conversation. She ignored their stares, "By now they probably realize that something is up so we need to act fast." She looked over at Ryan, "Do you think that you can have Gates make some copies of what is on that flash drive?"

"I'll see what I can do, but she's going to want to know why. She's keeping all this information locked up pretty tight and she's already been pretty clear about keeping you away from everything." Ryan said as he was already starting to pull out his phone.

"Tell her the reasoning is bait," Kate said.

All three men erupted in protests, but they were silenced by a wave of Beckett's hand, "Okay maybe bait was the wrong word. More like an insurance policy." As she looked into the blank stares of the guys she continued her explanation. "As we continue to look for Maddox and try to deal with the whole Senator had my mom killed and is the father of an ex, we are going to have to put out something letting them know that if something was to happen to any of us or anyone we care about the information that we have will be released." Castle acted like he wanted to say something but Kate silenced him and continued on, "I don't like the fact that you guys know what is going on. I don't want your lives put in jeopardy. It's bad enough I've already taken one of you down with me," she said glancing over at Rick and giving him a meaningful look.

"We're in this Beckett," Esposito declared. "You're one us of and we protect our own." Ryan nodded his agreement.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. There was a good chance that someone could get hurt, yet here they all were ready to stand beside her. She'd dealt with the fallout of her mother's case for so long on her own that it threw her for a loop that there were people who wanted to stand behind her as she dove into solving the case of her mother's death. It had taken some time, but she had slowly let Rick into the case that had consumed her more than once. As she looked at the boys' faces she knew that it was probably time to let others in so maybe she could finally put the case that has haunted her for so many years behind her once and for all. She just hoped they all survived the journey.

"Okay guys," she said as she took a seat. "This is the plan."

* * *

_A/N: This was a super short chapter I know, and I left you hanging to boot, but it will probably take me a few chapters to get back into the groove of writing and I at least wanted to get something out to you guys. I know this was supposed to be finished by the beginning of Season 5, but as of right now I have no clue when it will be finished. I hope that you will stick with this story for the long haul. Please R&R._

_Jen_


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